10 Essentials: Ovadia Sons

It's easy to forget that Ariel and Shimon Ovadia, of the GQ-approved menswear line Ovadia Sons, only debuted last July. The Brooklyn-bred, twentysomething twins have a worldliness that exceeds their youth, and they speak of classic tailoring with a reverence that recalls Florentine sartorialists.

"We're not about trends or gimmicks," Ariels said. "We just make clothing that we like that will never go out of style.

That might sound like a bold statement from an upstart company that's less than a year old, but the Ovadia brothers have the goods to back it up. The line strikes a delicate balance between timeless American prep and nonchalant European flair: bright gingham shirts with cutaway collars; trim, tailored cargo pants; and boldly patterned suits with lapels that are just right — not too wide and not too slim.

We caught up with the debonair duo to discuss their preferred whisky, penchant for double-breasted jackets, and proclivity for pilfering soap from French hotels.

Photo: Ysa Perez

1. Le Bristol Hotel, Paris

Ariel: This hotel has so much to offer — it's a world of it's own. The décor is so beautiful and understated, and the rooms have different color schemes. You never know which one you're going to get, which is cool. It has two of the top restaurants in Paris—one of them has three Michelin Stars. The breakfast in the courtyard is incredibly peaceful.

The best thing, though, are the toiletries. They have this Hermés soap in the bathroom. Forget about the fact that its Hermés—you've never smelled soap like this in your life. It's an orange kind of scent.

The last time I was there, I said, "You know, I always love the soap whenever I come here—I'm going to be smart now. I'm going to start stashing it away, and bring it back home to New York." I didn't want them to see that I was collecting the soap, so I put it in the safe. Then, I got home, and now in my house I have five bars of Hermés soap. But don't tell them—they're probably expensive!

Shimon: I'll be there next week—don't print that story!

Photo: Courtesy of Hotel le Bristol Paris

2. Diptyque Philosykos

Ariel: I think a man should have his scent—a signature scent. He doesn't have to wear it all the time, but he should have something that works for the day and night. This particular item is really, really amazing. It's a white fig scent, and it's very fresh.

In the past two weeks, I've had two friends who smelled it and they went out the next day and bought it. They're like, "Ariel, this scent is absolutely amazing." And the women seem to like it—that's important.

Photo: Courtesy of Dyptique

3. Fountain Pens

Ariel: I don't have a lot of things that I really care for—like comic books or stamps or anything—but my obsession with pens goes back as far as I can remember. When I was a kid, I used to go to Walgreen's and if there was a $4 pen, I'd be like, "Oh my god, Mom, can I have that pen?"

About five or six years ago, I bought my first fountain pen, and since then I always have one on me. The reason I like them is because I think you can make pens so beautifully, it's like an art form.

This is my favorite pen. It's a Mabie Todd Swan, which is about 50 years old. The nib—the piece that you write with—is made out of 18 karat gold. Not because it's fancy or expensive, but because gold doesn't rust so it'll last forever. I'll have this pen for my whole life.

Shimon: It also goes into the design of our clothing—we put a pen pocket in all of our jackets.

Photo: Ysa Perez

4. Clothes Valet

Ariel: Imagine this: You just went out, you went to dinner, you went to a bar. You're perspiring, you smell of smoke, the smog of New York City, whatever it is. You've just worn your clothes for ten hours. You come home—what are you going to do? Are you going to throw [your clothes] on the chair, thrown them on the couch? You can't fold them and put them in the closet—they need to breathe.

Not only does a valet make things look more organized, but it also lets your clothing breathe and it refreshes them. You put your shirt on the rack; you leave your trousers hanging. My valet has two hooks on the side—one for a belt, one for a tie. It has two compartments that come out to put your cufflinks and trinkets, so everything's where it's supposed to be.

5. Amex Appointment Book

Ariel: I can't live without it. I'm not a digital planner type of guy. I don't put appointments on my BlackBerry or my Outlook calendar. I like to have something that I can hold in my hand and open up. I've been using the same kind for 10 years. This thing is like my life.

I didn't have it this year for a month, and I was freaking out. Once it's September, I have someone call and order the books. I get nervous. It ends in January, and I get nervous if I don't have my new book by January 1st.

Shimon: The action of physically writing something down is really important for me. Sometimes I'll think, "What time is that meeting at?" If I don't have the book with me, I can actually see the handwriting in the book and the time and the ink that I wrote it with. It's funny.

Photo: Courtesy of Ovadia Sons

6. Ovadia Sons Cargo Trouser

Ariel: On my last trip to France, I packed four pairs of pants: jeans, dress pants, linen trousers, and these. I wound up wearing these the entire time. When you're running around everywhere—going to meetings and to museums and taking day trips—you want a versatile, comfortable pant. If it's really warm out and you're just wearing a plain shirt, the cargo adds a nice detail and gives it some flavor.

Shimon: I really hate having things in my front pockets, but if it's 100 degrees outside and you don't have a jacket, you don't have a choice. Where are you going to put your iPod? I'll hold it in my hand because I hate having it in my pocket. The cargo trouser allows you to use the pocket, and because ours has a slimmer, tailored fit, you don't feel your keys dangling all over the place.

Photo: Ysa Perez

7. Dubset App

Shimon: This app and web site are amazing—it's the new Pandora. It basically takes the best DJs in the world and records their live sets, which is something that's never been done before. It's well curated, so you know you're getting quality mis and the world's best DJs. Even a kid having a party in Idaho, he doesn't have to spend an hour making a playlist—he can pick music by genre or a DJ that he knows and plug it right in.

We use it all the time for dinner parties and barbeques. Right now they have a lot of mis of minimal music. It's like instrumental, maybe a little bit of vocals, but it's kind of like background music that can go with any atmosphere.

Photo: Courtesy of Apple

8. Ovadia Sons Double-breasted Navy Sport Coat

Shimon: To me, a navy blue double-breasted jacket is more important than a single-breasted one. It's a little more elegant, and you can dress it up or down.

It's funny—I saw in GQ they put the double-breasted jacket as a "Trend for 2012." We've been wearing this jacket for a long time. [laughs]

Ariel: Even last year, which was our first collection, we had so many double-breasted coats and all the buyers were like, "What's up with everything double-breasted?"

Shimon: "Everything's double-breasted and your lapels are so wide!" And we'd just say, "This is what we like." And now everyone's showing it.

Ariel: But the funny part is, we're always going to have that. The type of style that we like—the navy blue sport coat—if we have that in our collection in 25 years, it'll still be like, "Wow, you have to have that. It's beautiful." It's a classic. It never gets old.

Photo: Ysa Perez

9. Oban 14 Whisky

Shimon: A man's gotta have his whisky. We've been drinking whisky for awhile and I think we've narrowed it down—this is really the one that we love. It's very sweet and rich. I think it's made with orange, lemon and pear, and it has a very smoky taste on the palate with dried figs and autumn spices. It's really beautiful.

Ariel: I think whisky is the only type of spirit that tells a story. When you have it in your hand and you're smelling it and you're taking that first sip, it really tells a story on its own.

Photo: Courtesy of Oban

10. Vintage Bomber Jacket

Shimon: From the first time I saw the jacket, I really fell in love with it. This is actually a military-issued jacket. It was issued to the Army Air Corps in World War II and before that, it was released in the '30s.

I found it at a thrift store, and all of the details were so incredible. Whether it's the flame-resistant ribbing on the sleeves, or the collar and pockets. It has a map pocket inside, which is really cool. You have the bi-swing back, which gives you ease of motion in the back. You have the belted back, which reinforces the back for you. There's a heavy-duty brass zipper and railroad stitching. So a lot of thought went into this.

Ariel: It's so funny, that jacket has so much detail on it, you'd think a fashion designer designed it. But it's made more to be rugged, and technical and utilitarian. We love things that actually serve a purpose.

It's easy to forget that Ariel and Shimon Ovadia, of the GQ-approved menswear line Ovadia Sons, only debuted last July. The Brooklyn-bred, twentysomething twins have a worldliness that exceeds their youth, and they speak of classic tailoring with a reverence that recalls Florentine sartorialists.

"We're not about trends or gimmicks," Ariels said. "We just make clothing that we like that will never go out of style.

That might sound like a bold statement from an upstart company that's less than a year old, but the Ovadia brothers have the goods to back it up. The line strikes a delicate balance between timeless American prep and nonchalant European flair: bright gingham shirts with cutaway collars; trim, tailored cargo pants; and boldly patterned suits with lapels that are just right — not too wide and not too slim.

We caught up with the debonair duo to discuss their preferred whisky, penchant for double-breasted jackets, and proclivity for pilfering soap from French hotels.